


A Father's Arms

by ThatDamnKennedyKid



Series: Two Jedi Walk Into A Mandalorian [16]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Female Obi-Wan Kenobi, Horrors of War, Mandalorian Adoption (Star Wars), Mandalorian Clone Troopers (Star Wars), Mandalorian Obi-Wan Kenobi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:34:04
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,480
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27549925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ThatDamnKennedyKid/pseuds/ThatDamnKennedyKid
Summary: This campaign seemed more oddly brutal than the others. The droids were nearly genocidal, cutting down anyone they managed to find. When Ahsoka  and Torrent Company rolled up on this village, it was to a field of corpses. Rex wasn't sure what prompted him to open up the cold storage against one of the houses, but perhaps the parental instinct of Obi-Wan was rubbing off on him.~*~(Please read the content warning in the notes.)
Relationships: 501st Legion & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Boba Fett & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Din Djarin & Obi-Wan Kenobi, Obi-Wan Kenobi/CT-7567 | Rex
Series: Two Jedi Walk Into A Mandalorian [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1553227
Comments: 56
Kudos: 310





	A Father's Arms

**Author's Note:**

> Trigger Warning: The opening to this installment features graphic descriptions of death, dismemberment, mutilation and corpse desecration. For anyone sensitive to imagery of war and civilian casualties, please skip down to the first cut. 
> 
> PTSD for both soldiers and civilians will be discussed as well, though that will not include graphic imagery.

Aq Vetina had once been a beautiful world. Lush, fertile forests with warm meadows and deep valleys dominated the main continents, alongside crystalline oceans and lakes, so blue they almost didn't look real. Mountains crested on the horizon, capped year-round in snow when you could even see them past the lower clouds. The soils were dark, nearly black, and usually covered by flowering ground cover. Where the forests would break into meadowlands in the hearts of the valleys, the sun would illuminate the metallic golds and coppers of their petals, highlight how vibrant the reds and the purples were. The shores of their rivers were lined in smooth stone, a soft grey in colour, backing onto beaches of pale pink sand. The world glimmered, rich in water and life, home to a people equal parts beautiful and humble. 

Droids don't see beauty, and they don't care about life. 

"Light . . ." Commander Tano breathed, involuntarily coming to a stop. Kano couldn't help but agree. 

The GAR, and the 501st and 212th in particular, tended to meet the clankers head on, rather than showing up after the fact or missing out entirely. Very rarely did the 501st lose battles, and those they had lost were retreats, not straight out losses. More often than not, as well, the Seppies were looking for subsistence - parasites can't exist without a host, and neither can the CIS maintain itself without the valuables of the planets that 'joined' them. As much as the clankers didn't give a shit about what happened at any given moment, the people who commanded them did, and even people could be a valuable resource if managed correctly. The people of Aq Vetina - a gentle argicultural people - would have made for excellent slaves, either put collectively to use as a breadbasket for true CIS worlds or individually as servant slaves to man estates of the CIS' elite. Even if the CIS thought they would lose Aq Vetina, as they were, then these innocents would make a half-decent human shield, if nothing else, a good cover for the retreat. 

Kano handed his gun to Hardcase on his left and knelt down into the rich soil, rolling over the body of a young woman at his feet. Her chest was riddled with the holes of blaster fire, but half of her face was also missing, likely stepped on by a super battle droid as it marched through. Further to his right, a young man of roughly the same age looked like he was running with her, but was caught under the collapsing timbre of a house. Well, what was a house. It had been set on fire, and from the horrified breathing of Kix who was checking over his body, that same fire had eaten him too. 

Jesse was the furthest into the remains of the village, muttering quiet curses to himself as he opened the door to one of the few remaining houses. "Grenade . . . "

Ah. That likely meant that whoever had hidden inside the house was now scattered around it in pieces. They wouldn't be the only ones - disembodied limbs and heads, torn apart by mines and grenades, filled the divots in the ground those same explosives had made. Directly ahead of him were the remains of a mother, much of her face and chest blown off. He only knew she was a mother because of the tightly wrapped bundle of cloth tucked in her left arm, pierced by shrapnel and debris. 

"Why would they do this?" Commander Tano breathed, only remaining on her feet because of Redeye and Ringo flanking her. 

"Demoralization." Jesse replied sombrely. "Droids are told what to do - whoever was in command on their side wanted us to see this."

Kix bowed his head with a sigh - a medic was meant to save lives, and Kix hated arriving too late more than anything. 

The bodies of toddlers and very young children were also scattered about, sometimes more literally than figuratively. A couple of the young ones had clearly been thrown, laying crumpled against walls with their bodies left in unnatural poses. Worst of all were those who obviously hadn't died right away, but had been left behind once the fires had been set and the retreat was ordered. sometimes they were adults, sometimes children, sometimes together, sometimes alone. The soil under them seeped their blood back out under the troopers' boots, and despite the lack of horrific trauma, they seemed to be the ones who died in the most agony. They'd lain there, bleeding, for what was likely hours as Torrent Company under Commander Tano pushed through the offensive to the source of the smoke. it was possible some of them died sooner than when they stopped bleeding, such as those closer to the housefires, who likely perished from the heat or smoke inhalation. 

This particular village was decently large, and if the silence was this deafening, then it was clear that the Separatists had been very thorough. They hadn't encountered anyone fleeing from this place in the forests, and the CIS retreat had been in the opposite direction. The odds were very good that everyone in this town had been wiped out. Jesse's weary sigh and continued swearing only solidified that in Kano's mind. 

Out of the corner of his eye, Kano saw Rex come to a stop in front of the bodies of a man and a woman. A mine had blown up between them, by the looks of it, and taken half their bodies with it. the only saving grace is that injuries like that usually meant they had died instantly. Just a sharp shot of pain, a moment to register the surprise, and then it was all over. Rex had holstered both his pistols, which was odd for him to do. 

While he couldn't see his brother's expression, Kano knew Rex was thinking about Obi-Wan and Boba. The all knew Boba had watched Jango die, and how troubled that had made the boy. And there were hints about a terrible event in Obi-Wan's childhood as well, something equally terrifying, if not worse. She grew up in the Mandalorian Civil War - was she privy to scenes like this? Had Obi-Wan, as a girl no more than ten, walked through fields of bodies, surrounded by empty homes and greeted only by the smoking embers? It was tragically likely, and even for a born Mandalorian, it would spell out a hard life of suffering. 

Rex quietly turned away from the couple' remains, turning to the trap door next to him. It had not caught fire, despite the house it being attached to having burned down. Gently, as though the wood would crumble under his hands, Rex pulled one of the panels up and let it fall to the side. He glanced back over at the couple, then stepped down into the storage space. No other brother paid him much mind, too wrapped up in observing the scene for themselves or keeping an eye on the pale and sick-looking Commander Tano. Kano was the only one watching when Rex re-emerged from the trap door, a bundle of soiled red cloth hoisted up in one arm. 

"Oh, _vod_." Kano murmured, sympathy welling up in his throat.

The bundle didn't move, but Rex's grip on it was desperate nonetheless. His voice sounded wrecked, as though he'd been here screaming for days instead of arriving a mere handful of hours ago. "He's alive."

Commander Tano swiped at her eyes, gathering herself back together. She was further ahead than they were, so she turned back to face them. "What?"

"He's alive." Rex repeated, adjusting the bundle. Little booted feet slipped out from the red wrapping, swaying gently. 

Tano bit her lip, averting her eyes in indecision. Kano knew why, sympathized with her, even. They both knew what this meant, what Rex was saying. 

This village was annihilated. The odds of this youngling having any family _not_ within the village's borders was slim, and the odds on top of that of being able to _find_ them in the chaos was even worse. This child was it, the singular survivor of a massacre. Kano also knew that Rex intended to do with the child, should Commander Tano not force his hand, because he knew what _Obi-Wan_ would do with the child. 

"I don't know." Tano finally said. "All I know is we can't leave him here."

Rex clutched the boy closer, and Kano wondered faintly how many younglings there would be running amok within the 501st once the married couples got done with it. 

"We shouldn't stay here." Jesse broke in, returning to the main bulk of the company. "There's nothing left and we're pretty far from the main host."

"Yes, you're right." Commander Tano shook herself, trying to shake off the horror all around them and get back into battle mode. "We should rejoin Anakin and Obi-Wan. I imagine they've taken the city by now."

"Probably, knowing them." Kix agreed. 

Kano stood at last. "Form up men, we're moving out."

Torrent Company reassembled, following Jesse's lead back through the jungle.

Quietly, Kano nudged Tano. "I'll take point. We'll keep Rex and the kid in the back, covered by the rearguard."

"Okay, sounds good." She approved. "Thank you, Kano."

"Anything for a brother, sir." He saluted and joined Jesse at the front of the Company, comming in to Skywalker first to report their return and then Obi-Wan on a private channel to inform her that Rex had come upon a Foundling. She'd gone quiet over the comms, then said _I'll be ready for him. Take care of them until I'm able_. and then cut the channel. 

"What is Rex going to do with the boy?" Hardcase asked when he joined them up front. 

"Keep him." 

"Can he?" Fives muttered. 

"If he can't, Obi-Wan can." 

They all murmured their agreement, then continued their march, trying not to think about the memories that scrubbing the blood off their boots was already going to bring up.

* * *

When they made it back to the landed _Endurance_ , Skywalker was waiting for Tano with Obi-Wan at his side. She'd clearly not mentioned anything about the Foundling to him, because he just looked quizzical when she hurried over to Rex and his red bundle. 

"What's that?" Skywalker asked. 

"Our child, if he'll have us." Obi-Wan replied. 

"Like, you and me?" Skywalker hesitated. "Because, uh, that's not really allowed in the Jedi Order-"

"Yes, and we wouldn't want Senator Amidala to think something was amiss." Obi-Wan tossed back. "No, Rex and I."

"Oh, so you finally did it? You asked him to marry you?"

"We are married, sir." Rex corrected. 

"We're going to the _Endurance_. Kano, you're taking over my post and Jesse, you'll fill in for Rex. Don't worry about the paperwork - we'll handle that, but I want all the units prepped and ready for extraction."

"Extraction ETA is roughly four hours from now." Skywalker spoke up, raising his voice. "Let's get to work, men."

| | | 

When the boy woke up, it was clear that he didn't really remember anything that had happened to him. Leastways, he didn't recall being found. He was nervous and scared, the memories of the explosions and blaster shots still very, very fresh. He spoke a language only Obi-Wan knew, despite being less than fluent in it, and his own Basic was poor. She had been the only one in the room with the boy when he awoke, and she had been out of her armour to seem less threatening. 

Boba, however, was posted outside the room to take messages for his mother. Rex was dealing with the debrief and likely explaining how and why he'd gone and acquired another child, one even younger than Boba. The upside of his posting here, at the door, was that once the initial frenzy of takeoff was over, no one really came by looking for Obi-Wan - the rumour about another child had spread quickly, and those of Torrent Company who had been with Rex when he recovered the boy had shared the details of the desolate town he'd been in. Kano, when he had come by to make sure the boy didn't need to be taken to medbay, had said that it was likely the poor thing would have a difficult adjustment period, the clones not necessarily distinctly human enough with their helmets on for someone unacquainted with them. 

The offhanded comment sent Boba spiralling down into his own thoughts, shot back in time to the memory of the kid on Mandalore who had shied away from him, and the talk he'd had with Rex on the school's stairs. 

Was this the kind of person he meant, back then? Someone like this random child, likely to become his brother if the brothers' reports were accurate, who had never come to see conflict until it bulldozed his life. Would Boba not have been happier for him to have never had to face conflict at all, to never have the memories of watching people blow up, get cut down and hear the sounds of death? On Mandalore, with the disdain and the anger, he hadn't been sure. It was an almost vindictive kind of pleasure to think about the schoolboy having to face down what he sneered at. But this . . . this was different, and Boba couldn't quite pin down why. He had no idea whether or not the people of Aq Ventina were the same kind of ignorant peace-lovers as the New Mandalorians, and as he thought about what he'd overheard Jesse describe to Siege, he wasn't so sure now that he could manage to wish that on anyone. 

His soon-to-be-brother was blameless, an entirely disconnected victim of a larger, more terrible galaxy who didn't care about him individually, or even as part of a larger people. He had done nothing to deserve the trauma he undoubtedly had, and it was something that would follow him forever, the same way he could still feel his own father's helmet under his fingers. These things, once endured, became part of you, and if Boba had the power inside himself to make sure no one ever felt this way, no one ever wailed over the loss of their village like his new brother was behind the door, then he would take it. It didn't matter if the people he saved didn't appreciate him, didn't understand why. Even that brat on Mandalore. 

Boba understood what Rex saw in the faces of those who persisted - dying, no matter how painfully, was at least final. But the living, they still needed saving, needed safety in which to recover, and deserved peace around them, even if they might not find it in their minds. 

The Way that his father had shown him told him to take such orphans in, whenever he could. The Way that Obi-Wan lived by - that had saved him from prison - told him that only love and perseverance could save an wounded soul, and that no child was beyond or undeserving of both a warm, caring home and the empowerment to provide the same. Boba may not be an adult yet, may not have his beskar, but he would do what he could for his brother. 

The door slid open behind him and Obi-Wan tapped his shoulder. "Come inside, would you?"

He nodded, getting to his feet and following her. Sitting on the bed, still wrapped in his dirty red clothes and now with red-rimmed eyes, sat the boy Rex had rescued. He was tolding a cup full of Obi-Wan's favourite tea, one that was nice to drink right before one went to sleep. The boy met his gaze, but didn't shy away. He was small, but cute, with a round face, deep brown eyes and a warm skin tone, somewhat lighter than his own, but not nearly as pale as Obi-Wan. 

"This is Boba Fett, my son." She introduced, crouching down to their level. "Boba, this is Din Djarin."

He hopped up next to Din on the bed. "Hi."

Din managed a little wave, not willing to separate his hands from the warm porcelain. With a cute little confused frown, he turned back to Obi-Wan. "Not same name?"

"I adopted him." She replied, reaching up to brush his bangs out of his eyes. 

"Ad-opt?" Din frowned harder. 

"Made my son. Took in to my family." 

"Oh." Din glanced at Boba, then back to Obi-Wan. "No family."

"My dad died." Boba felt compelled to say. Something in him desperately wanted Din to know someone else understood, someone small like him. 

"Ka-pew?" Din asked, setting down his cup long enough to make a little explosion with his hands. 

He didn't exactly want to share that Jango had been _beheaded_ , so he settled on, "Pew-pew," making a blaster with his fingers. Din nodded sadly as he picked up his teacup, hesitating for a moment before shuffling over and leaning into Boba. Din raised the cup to him, and he took a little sip just to see the smaller boy's lips quirk up. 

"There's one more person I want to show you." Obi-Wan warned, standing up and opening the door again. Rex was on the other side, still in full armour, but with his helmet at his side and clearly anxious. Din didn't hide, exactly, but he pressed closer to Boba. Obi-Wan lowered her voice, speaking to Rex. "Take off the top of your armour, and only use simple Basic - he's not fluent."

"Oh, uh, right." Rex ducked his head bashfully, but neither his wife nor son could blame him. He was a clone - all he'd ever known was war, and the ones he'd made a family with warriors themselves. He set about quickly stripping the top half of his kit, with help from Obi-Wan when he fumbled. He stripped of everything but his boots, vambraces, thigh plates and codpiece, taking his cues from Obi-Wan as she crouched in front of the boys again. 

"Din, this is Rex. Rex, this is Din Djarin."

Once again, Din waved, having relaxed a little when the armour was off. Admittedly, Rex looked a lot more human that way, with no hard white exoskeleton and impassive visor. 

"Hi." Rex said, offering a smile. "I found you."

Din sat up. "You find?"

Re nodded. "Yes, I did."

Din handed his tea to Boba again, scooting forward on the bed until he could wrap his arms around Rex's neck. Panic overcame the Captain for a moment, but Obi-Wan nudged his arm and he automatically wrapped the boy up, taking a shuddering breath before really squeezing him. Din slid the rest of the way off the bed and into Rex's lap, holding on so fiercely you'd think he was in an open airlock. He only pulled back enough to press a kiss to Rex's cheek. "Thank."

"Aq Vetinans kiss cheeks in thanks and greeting." Obi-Wan explained quietly. 

"Heh, not a problem, kid." Rex didn't acknowledge the tears that trailed down his face, nor the way his voice broke when he spoke. He just knelt there, holding onto Din as tightly as he dared. 

"Boba," Obi-Wan instructed gently, "go to the other side."

He did as he was told, Obi-Wan reaching around to gesture him closer. The two Mandalorians wound up wrapped around the other two, all holding tightly as Din began to cry again, relief at finally feeling safe again. 

That night, they took the mattresses from Boba's room and Obi-Wan's room and laid them on the floor. They brought in all the sheets and some extras volunteered by Kano and Kix, and made a big, warm bed for all three of them. Rex and Obi-Wan were on the outside, bracketing in the boys. Boba was pressed against Obi-Wan's chest and Din was cocooned by Rex's arms, both boys looking at each other. Din was younger than him, maybe only seven at the most, and he really looked it now, bundled and tiny. 

"Hey, Din?" He reached out, brushing his fingertips along the boy's cheek. 

"Hmm?" Din blinked sleepily at him - the clones always ran warm and made for excellent cuddlers.

"Want to be my brother?" 

"Made to brother?"

"Yeah. I'll be your brother, Rex can be our dad and Obi-Wan will be our mom."

Din came more awake at that. "New family? Home?"

"Yeah." 

Din glanced up at Obi-Wan, who nodded with a smile, then at Rex, who kissed the top of his head. "Yes. Family."

Obi-Wan reached out, cupping Din's cheek in her hand. " _Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad,_ Din Djarin."

" _Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad_ , Din Djarin." Rex repeated, nuzzling into his hair. 

" _Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'vod_ , Din Djarin." Boba whispered, his fingers trailing away.

Din clearly didn't understand what that meant, blinking at them sleepily. In the end, with a little shrug and a nod, he just said, "Home," and settled down to sleep. 

**Author's Note:**

> Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'ad - adoption vow; Lit. "I know your name as my child"  
> Ni kyr'tayl gai sa'vod - amended adoption vow; Lit. "I know your name as my brother"


End file.
